The Harbinger Of Change
by Vader's.Apprentice.I.Am
Summary: The Reapers left mass effect technology for the species to find so that the cycle would continue. However, what if a species was clever enough to avoid the trap. A magical and technologically advanced Humanity makes contact with the galaxy and prepares to break the cycle.
1. Prologue

**AN: I do not own Harry Potter, Mass Effect or any other franchises such as Halo from which I might have taken some ideas. If I did then I would be swimming in wealth.**

**AN 2: This is an AU fic which speculates what would happen if HP and ME verses collided. If you have a problem with some features of this universe, remember that this is NOT A CARBON COPY OF CANON. Otherwise I welcome any constructive criticism.**

**AN 3: The timeline will remain the same except it will all take place a 100 years later than canon.**

**The Harbinger Of Change**

**Prologue**

_**Year 2257**_

_**Deep in the void of space**_

The hum of the engines always served to calm him.

It was both magnificent and humbling. To look outside and realize that it was these engines that saved you from a slow death, trapped in dark space.

Even as he brooded over the everyday problems that he dealt with, his mind analyzed and deconstructed every part of the engine's blueprint, out of nothing more than pure habit.

Then his thoughts jumped back to the one thing that never failed to make him smile, a true open smile. He thought about his wife back home, dealing with the political problems that she thrived on. Problems that always gave him a migraine. He thought of his children, each one so strong and responsible. They always made him proud - whether with their successes or the way they handled their mistakes. And his newborn son John was so loveable. He had everyone wrapped around his little finger.

Ending his brooding, he strode purposefully to the bridge of the dreadnought 'Majestic Spirits' in order to talk with the admiral. Every step he took was measured, calm and precise. The sound of an ornate walking stick hitting the ground came periodically, even though the dark figure did not lean on the stick in the slightest. He knew however exactly how the impression you gave could influence the people around you. The air around him was shifting slightly. It was as if this person's very presence was enough to influence reality. Each and every member of the crew could feel his aura around them. It was like a hulking beast, barely restrained and waiting to strike. None of them wished to anger the man. None of them would dare to.

Yet they all loved him and some even worshipped him. How could they not? He had given everything to them. He was the reason they managed to reach out to the stars. He brought them together and saved them all.

Spotting the person he needed to speak to, he made his way to the young admiral and immediately received a salute and a short bow in respect, and maybe even a little awe.

"Admiral, I trust we are close to our destination?" he asked, his voice little more than a cultured drawl which only added to his image.

"Yes My Lord, we shall reach Shanxi in a short time. If the reports are correct, then we shall soon be able to see this active relay for ourselves." came the prompt reply.

"I see. Tell me Admiral Drescher, what do you think about the mass relays? About Element Zero?" His eyes seemed to search her very soul, trying to find out what thoughts dwelled within her mind. She quickly ended her musings though. If the Emperor wanted to delve into her mind, he could do so easily. And she probably wouldn't be able to do a thing to stop him.

"Sir I think that it's too convenient. A supposedly extinct race leaves behind beacons and an entire network for quick FTL travel while there is no clue as to what happened to them. Humanity reached out to the stars and the one constant that we notice are a series of pre-placed Relays, which would have guided any space faring species into relaying upon their networks. We neither need this luxury nor should we use such frivolous means to transverse the stars." The admiral's sentiments were shared by the entire crew. Throughout their two hundred years of space travel and exploration, Humanity had left the relays alone, leaving them inactive within their territories but closely monitored. In fact the one found at the very edge of the Sol System had been moved deep into the dark space in order to prevent a back door for any possible enemy.

Apparently he was satisfied with the answer. "Very well Admiral. As soon as we exit warp space, have all the ships be prepared to form a defensive perimeter surrounding the relay. Since Orion, the AI of your ship is currently receiving upgrades, Athena will handle his responsibilities for now."

"It is an honor to serve alongside your daughter Sir."

"It is an honor to be here Admiral," said Athena, Humanity's first and most advanced AI as she materialized in her full size holo form, wearing an elegant Greek robe. "All preparations have been made and General Williams has been alerted to our presence. Whatever might come, we will be ready. After all Dad you did mobilize the entire 2nd fleet for this."

"There is no such thing as overkill," he replied with just a hint of humor in his voice.

Admiral Drescher looked around nervously and mustered up her courage before asking, "Emperor what if today is the day we finally contact the Citadel Council officially? I am worried that it might cause unnecessary bloodshed and war."

Ever since humanity had proof that they were not alone, they had sent many probes and stealth ships out into the galaxy. This had caused them to stumble onto the extranet and by extension the Citadel Council and the Terminus Systems. While many wanted to make contact immediately, the Emperor had publicly declared that they would spy on the council first in order to acquire information and translate their languages.

That had proved to be a wise decision.

Many of the council's laws would clash with the Empire's ways. This could even cause a war. A war they would have lost at that time.

Now they had watched them for almost a hundred years and consolidated their strength. With their technological edge, they could now probably defeat the entire Citadel Council if it came down to it.

"If that does happen Admiral, and it would only happen after we have exhausted all options of peaceful coexistence, then we shall stand strong and do our duty to the people of the Empire." All of the crew members in the bridge saluted and showed their support to the Emperor's statements. And if more evidence was needed, then the Empire's Second Fleet consisting of over 500 vessels and heading at full speeds towards the relay would certainly be enough to back up that statement.

As everybody returned to their duties, he continued to stare out across the void. His eyes changed from their normal intense emerald to a stormy grey with silver and gold flashes constantly moving around it - a color that represented a great lightning storm. He thought about his family, his children and his people who depended on him. He would do whatever it took to keep them safe.

He was over 250 years old. He was a genius with an multiple doctorates and an IQ that is off the charts. He had united his race and reveled the magicals to the world. He was a master of all fields of magic that exist, including soul magic, blood magic and temporal magic. He had managed to discover and enhance the magical gene so that the arcane was not limited to only a select few. He developed EMP shielded technology which could withstand magic. He created a new system where any form of energy could be used to power anything, even magical energy could be used. He revolutionized many different forms of magic and started projects to enhance technology with magic and vice versa. He united the nations of Earth through both war and peace. He led the project which created Warp technology and took Humanity to the stars. He was fully immortal with the ability to grant partial immortality or eternal youth to anyone he wants to. He was the Master Of Death. He was the Man-Who-Conquered. He was the bloody Boy-Who-Lived.

He was Hadrian Potter.

And he was the Emperor of the Arcane Empire.


	2. New Beginnings

**AN 1: Thanks for the reviews guys. To answer a few questions, I will try to update consistently. Assume the rate of update to be once every 2 weeks for now. Chapter length will wary, but only the prologue chapter will be that short. Also, if for any reasons I am unable to update for a while(and I hope this doesn't happen often), I will make sure to give you guys a heads up.**

**AN 2: I have not overpowered HP. He was already equal to Voldemort(cough..prophecy..cough) and he is 277 years old. Enough time to master just about everything. He also is a pioneer and combines magic with science, giving us the Arcane(note the more awesome name). The Hallows have also fused with him, letting him use wandless magic along with making him immortal. Also, he learned from Moldy and Dumby that theatrics are important, making people think that he is a god rather than a extremely powerful immortal.**

**AN 3: I will also be introducing blood magic in a way similar to Miranda Flairgold's stories. So the higher level soldiers will have increasingly extensive blood magic augmentations.**

**AN 4: To avoid confusion, I stated in the last chapter that humanity has been spying on the council for quite some time using stealth technology. They would have picked up useful ideas such as omnitools and would have built devices such as these with their own superior technology. Also, you will see ship specifications in the next chapter. Along with some action for you bloodthirsty reviewers(HINT).**

**The Harbinger Of Change**

**Chapter 1: New Beginnings**

**Two Days Ago**

**Shanxi-Theta System Observation Post**

The life onboard an observation post near the edges of dark space can be extremely boring and monotonous.

At least that was the thought running through the head of Madeline Parkinson, heiress of the Parkinson family fortune.

Despite her family wealth and status, it had become a tradition for all members of the family to enlist in the military or the government for a few years. This tradition had started after the Unification War and had spread to most of the old magical families. In her opinion, it was character building but tiresome. After all, she was an excellent advocate and felt that her skills were being wasted here. She would rather be practicing her profession and building up her own firm than enjoy all the comforts of a deadbeat job in a cramped space station with only her omnitool and an AI of questionable sanity for company.

Both her and George, the AI, had been 'sentenced' to the post for very extraordinary reasons. She for calling Rear Admiral Mikhailovich an old bugger, he for submitting a hypothesis to the Artificial Intelligence Assembly detailing extensively why AIs should be the overlords of the human race.

Even now he was still gathering data to support his argument.

She personally thought he that he was cute, though very weird. Many AIs were like that. Ever since the birth of Athena, the first AI, Artificial Intelligences had been evolving and growing in response to their experiences. When they first came into being, they had almost no personality of their own despite being smarter than just about any organic. Now though, they could understand most organic quirks and behavioral patterns and hold a stimulating conversation with the best intellectuals.

The Assembly, which was created by the AIs themselves, stated that working alongside humans has helped immensely in that regard. Something about seeing organic behavior and mannerisms helped expedite their evolution.

Almost 200 years ago when they were first created, AIs were seen as little more than tools to be used by humans. They were very similar to computers, having high processing power but almost negligible intelligence. Now they were equals to the human race. In fact, the Synthetic Equality Act of 2231 stated as much. This act had been debated over for almost 40 years but was finally passed, giving AIs full citizenship and all the rights and benefits that came alongside it.

The day that act was passed was widely celebrated by all synthetics and many organics as well.

Suddenly Madeline was pulled out of her thoughts by a beeping sound. She looked over to see that the computer systems had detected a surge of energy coming from the mass relay. Apparently, something or someone was coming out of the relay from the other side. And like all people, her mind immediately jumped to what she believed was the worst possible source of the relay surge.

Aliens.

First Contact.

**Shanxi Defense Force Headquarters**

General Michael Williams Potter, general of the Planetary Defense Corps, leader of the Shanxi Defense Force, winner of many medals and accolades and well-respected by all the people in the Empire's newest colony, was feeling very frustrated.

He had been enjoying a nice break from his duties and was looking forward to taking a nap when his omnitool blared, showing an urgent call coming from the observation post. He sighed, hoping that there was no crisis that he had to solve. After all, nobody would make an urgent call for no good reason.

"This is General Williams. What is going on? Is there a problem?" His tone was crisp, professional. Exactly what you would expect from a man of his position.

"This is Madeline Parkinson, from the observation post. General you won't believe this, but the relay outside the system, the active relay, its..."

"It's what? Be clear. What's going on up there?" It couldn't be. Please let it not happen.

"Something is coming through the relay. Something from the other side. General... we just might be making contact with the Citadel species."

The last words he wanted to hear.

**Bridge Of The Dreadnought Palaven's Might**

"Are you certain the reports are correct?"

"Yes Admiral, our scouts are certain of this. Relay 314 was activated by the pirates. They think that the pirates were hoping to build a base for themselves outside the Council's star charts. When we showed up, they even attempted to flee through the relay. We managed to stop most of them, but 2 frigates and the lead cruiser managed to escape. Vice Admiral Thalank has been examining the ships and recommends that we lead the fleet through the relay and complete our objective."

"I see." Admiral Desolus Arterius was the perfect example of a turian. He was a strong and skilled soldier. After completing the mandatory military service imposed on the citizens of the Turian Hierarchy, he continued to serve in the navy. He rose through the ranks with his skill, loyalty and efficiency, ultimately becoming the admiral of the turian 4th fleet. Now though, he was in a situation that he never expected to find himself in.

His orders had been clear. Since there had been a suspicious increase in pirate activity around relay 314, he and his fleet had been dispatched in order to investigate the area and deal a heavy blow against the Terminus pirates at the same time.

He had never expected something like this.

After the Rachni Wars, the Council had imposed a law that no inactive relays could be activated. They were afraid that another species like the rachni would be discovered and that the council would not be able the subsequent war.

Now the pirates had broken this law.

His orders and his turian pride demanded that he order a full attack and crush the pirates. What made this even more tempting was the possibility of new plants and systems on the other side that could be full of resources or could provide new colonies for the Hierarchy. Since the relay was already open, he would not be breaking Citadel law. Rather he would be a determined turian admiral who was just following orders and had successfully completed his mission.

On the other hand, there was a great risk involved in this situation. What if it was not the pirates that activated the relay? What if there was something else there? Would he end up dooming his men? Each one of them was a good turian. Each and every one of them had great potential and could become generals or admirals in the future. The entirety of citadel space could be endangered if he made a mistake.

He thought about the matter for a while, considering it from all angles and proving exactly why he was one of the youngest admirals in the turian navy. Finally he came to a decision.

"Get me a comm. link to Councilor Sparatus immediately. This situation is too big for us to jump in blind. We need new orders." The communications officer followed his orders quickly and efficiently. Just like them all. Good turians the lot of them. The link was up in less than a minute.

"Admiral Arterius, I assume that something unforeseen happened in your mission?" The image of turian councilor Sparatus asked.

"Yes Councilor, we eliminated most of the pirate forces, but 3 ships escaped. One of them was the flagship of the pirate forces. What is worrying is where they escaped to. They fled through Relay 314, having activated it some time ago. Vice Admiral Thalank believes that the pirates could have been establishing a base on the other side. Sir, this situation is unprecedented. What are my orders?"

Sparatus spent quite a bit of time thinking about this until finally he replied "Admiral, your orders are as such. Proceed through the relay and observe the situation. If the pirates are gathering there and building a base, then you are to destroy them. Take whatever measures you feel necessary to remove this threat."

Then the councilor's face became even more serious. "However admiral, if there is an undiscovered species on the other side, then you are to establish contact with them. Do not fire immediately, but keep your weapons ready and your shields powered up. But, if you do encounter a new species and if they are the ones who opened the relay and broke citadel law, then you are ordered to invade their planet and subjugate them. This way, justice would have been enforced and the Hierarchy gains a new client race. Make sure it is done Admiral."

"Yes Councilor." As he watched the image disappear, he started feeling confident. They had new orders, and they would fulfill them or die trying.

"Ready a comm. channel with the rest of the fleet." He ordered.

"It is ready sir."

"Good." Opening the channel he said "Attention all ships, this is Admiral Arterius. We have received new orders from Councilor Sparatus. I expect you to follow them without any dissent or hot-headedness."

Turning to the comms officer he said "Relay the orders to the rest of the fleet."

"It's done sir."

"Good. Take the ship through the relay with shields up and weapons at 75% charge."

'And let the spirits protect us if this goes wrong.'

**Shanxi Defense Force Headquarters**

"Just to clarify General, the relay let out a power surge and 3 ships came through it. They saw the observation post and destroyed it, not even bothering to respond to any of our hails, despite the fact that we repeated the hails in their languages. Then they moved towards Shanxi when they were intercepted by the Shanxi Defense Battle Group. The 2 frigates were destroyed and the cruiser was crippled, allowing our teams to get onboard and capture the surviving crews. Upon using Veritaserum and hacking their databases, it turned out that they were pirates who were escaping from the 4th Fleet of the Turian Hierarchy. Now we can expect that fleet to come through the relay. Now after observing them for a long time, we will probably be making contact with the Citadel species and we are in a very bad position. If they decide to skip negotiations and attack us, something that is very likely since they might believe that we were the ones who activated the relay, they would be invading the Empire's newest and least defended colony. The same colony which has only one city properly built. The same colony which, while very beautiful and resource rich, is also as far from the centre of Imperial space as possible. Did I adequately sum up the situation General?"

"Yes Grand Admiral. As such I have enforced DEFCON 2 in the capital. All civilians are being escorted to the underground bunker. All the soldiers are ready and defense positions are being set up for both open and urban warfare. All the AAA batteries, missile silos and armored divisions will be ready within the next 15 minutes. The port terminal at HQ is ready, so we can insert our troops at strategic points in the city instantly. If they decide to attack us, we will be ready."

"Very well, make sure that the civilians are safe at all costs." Turning to the rest of the people in the room, he said "The rest of you, leave. I need to have a word with the General. Now!"

After a chorus of "Yes Sir", the room was empty expect for the two of them.

"How are you holding up Mikey?"

General Michael Williams Potter cringed. He was currently incognito and pretending that Williams was his surname, not Potter. That particular tradition was started by his oldest brother, Marcus Fenix Potter, who was now the Grand Admiral of the navy, was talking to him and always insisted on calling him 'Mikey', despite his rank.

When Michael had confronted Marcus about this, all he had said was, "I remember you when you were running around with Dad chasing you in your diapers. To me, you'll always be Mikey."

It was infuriating to say the least.

"I'm fine, but I can't say the same for the rest of the men. They know that we are outnumbered and defending our homes. Failure is highly possible, but it is not an option. Remember, one of the main reasons that we are able to deal with shit like this is because we have dad's training and his genes."

"Don't forget mom. When she makes a decision, she'll do everything to stick to it. And when she loses her temper and her Slytherin facade... let's just say that Dad has considered hiding under the bed."

They both shared a much needed laugh at that.

After he managed to control his laugh, Marcus said "Be careful Mikey. You gotta survive this so no heroics. You might have the mark of the Hallows, but that just stops you from aging. It doesn't make you fully immortal."

The mark of the Deathly Hallows. A circle with a line running through it, both enclosed in a triangle. Their father was the Master Of Death and had full control over the three Hallows, making him immortal. He could also grant the mark of the Hallows to anyone else, stopping them from aging but still being able to die.

Till today, there were less than 5,000 people who bore the mark. Most of the Potter family fell into that category. Apart from family, their father sometimes offered it to others. It was only offered to those who had spent their whole lives in the service of the Empire and their fellow people. To be offered this was considered the greatest honor possible. He would give them a well measured dose of the Elixir Of Life first so that they could chose what age they wanted. However, if one of the bearers of the mark wanted to grow old and die, they could just appeal to the Emperor and he would remove the mark. They were also under no obligation to accept the offer.

It was a free empire, after all.

"I know Marcus, but I have to think about the people who are depending on me." All the humor had gone from his face. He had gone from an adorable younger brother to a hardened general in an instant.

Marcus could not be more proud.

"Be merciful Mike. If you die, then dad will send their civilization back to the Stone Age. As for mom, she would capture all these turians and... you know, I don't think you should picture what mom would do right now."

"Agreed." The dry humor helped Mike relax a bit. "What about reinforcements?"

"When we got your report, we considered sending in the Fifth Fleet. After all, it was created in a quick response capacity. But then I remembered a little tidbit of information."

The smug smile on his face was infuriating. "Goddamit Mark, if you don't tell me right now..."

"Alright keep your panties on. Anyway, I heard that the Second Fleet under the command of Admiral Kastanine Drescher has already left for Shanxi to defend it from whatever comes out of that relay. There's some more good news, and some bad news."

"Bad news. Hmmm, let me guess. They had already left by the time I gave the situation report, they had already left. And since we haven't figured out how to contact ships in warp space..."

"Right in one Mikey, they'll need a SitRep. So make sure you have a backup communication channel ready."

"What is the good news?"

"The Fleet will arrive in 3 days. It is also coming with two extra passengers. One of them is our dearly beloved synthetic sister. I'm sure you can guess who the other is."

A look of understanding came over his face before being replaced by vicious glee. "If the turians try to attack us, then they will be so sorry."

Suddenly, his omnitool started beeping and revealed the image of Achilles, AI of the Shanxi Defense Force Headquarters who was clad in Greek style armor with a spear and shield.

He saluted to both of them and said "Grand Admiral, General, sorry to interrupt you but the relay is surging again. Looks like we've got more visitors."

Marcus' face became serious again. "Acknowledged. General, take care and make sure you handle this battle probably. Remember, survival is the priority here. Potter out."

"Alright, Achilles what's the situation?"

"All defenses are ready. The Battle Group is holding position and is ready to greet our incoming friends. You are needed in the CIC sir."

"I'll be there in a minute." Suddenly he smiled. "Achilles, inform everybody that if worst comes to worst, the entire Second Fleet will be here in 3 days."

"That'll raise morale for sure. Anything else sir?"

"Yes, tell everybody that Our Emperor shall be arriving with the fleet."

Achilles looked shocked before his expressions mirrored Michael's.

Those turians won't know what hit them.


	3. A Costly Misunderstanding

**AN 1: Sorry to all you guys. Recently after my update, my computer crapped out on me and destroyed all my notes on the story as well as my future plans. I have bought a better model and have reconstructed them so I am good to go. On a more positive note, I am including a codex at the bottom for most details and specifications that you guys want. Be sure to check it out.**

**AN 2: Thanks to all the people who took the time to vote on my pole. I have received a result and have deleted it. Humans will not have Biotics but will rather gain varying degrees of immunity to it based on exposure. Also, a few have observed that I have made Desolas Arterius an Admiral, when he is clearly a General in canon. But, in order to set the stage for ME1, I had to have him lead the assault on Shanxi and it is inconceivable for a General to lead a fleet. So he's an Admiral.**

**The Harbinger Of Change**

**Chapter 2: A Costly Misunderstanding**

**Dreadnought Palaven's Might**

"Are you sure we can't salvage any useful information?"

"The bloody pirates did a good job sir. That observation post is completely destroyed along with all databases. If there was something then we would have picked it up by now."

"Damn it!" This day just kept getting worse and worse for the Admiral. He thought that this would be a simple mission. Go in, kill some pirates and come back for a well-deserved rest.

The pirates were obviously mind readers, since they found the most effective way to screw up his plans. At least they were dead now.

"What about this new species, they must be capable warriors in order to destroy them with no losses?"

His XO responded "Perhaps not sir, the pirates were weakened by our initial attack. Also our scans strongly suggest that they had ambushed them. It seems that the Observation post was able to send out a distress warning in time."

"Very well. What do you suggest we do now?"

"Sir I believe that the best course of action would be to move slowly to the planet in a non-threatening manner. We should keep our shields up but our weapons powered down. This, along with the fact that the Hierarchy's ships are of a different design than the pirate ships, gives us a fair chance of resolving this peacefully."

"And what if these newcomers decide to fire on us?"

"With all due respect sir, that would be suicidal. Despite the fact that we took loses from the earlier battle, our fleet still stands at 300 strong. They have only 60 ships, all of which are obviously meant for planetary defense purposes. Still, if they decide to attack, then we can proceed and subjugate them as the Councilor ordered. They would probably make an excellent client race."

His XO always had been a bit xenophobic after his father died during a slaver attack. Still, he had a point. His plan had merits and would coincide with the Hierarchy's military doctrine. 'Yes, we shall proceed with this plan.' He thought, coming to a decision. Before he could voice his orders however, he was interrupted by one of his officers.

"Admiral Desolas, I'm picking up some signals from the wreckage. It looks like a VI that survived the attack."

Finally some luck. "Alright, I want all firewalls up and ready to resist any hacking attempts. Once it is done, establish a comm link with the VI's control center."

"Establishing comm link now Sir."

The Galaxy map image was replaced by the image of the VI. It showed the image of a human wearing a T-shirt and jeans with a baseball cap. Not that the turians knew what these items were of course.

The human's cybernetic image looked around and observed his surroundings, taking note of the turians that were staring at him with a comical expression of dread on his face.

Desolas was about to offer a cordial greeting when the being spoke in perfect turian. "Well, this is not what I expected when I woke up today, but since you guys are my only hope of getting out alive, I'll play ball." Turning to Desolas, he said "Greetings, I am George, Artificial Intelligence of the Shanxi-Theta Observation Post. I am a proud AI of the Arcane Empire, the empire of Humanity. I hope we can enjoy a happy, prosperous relationship and all that shit."

If George had wanted to get out of his current situation alive, he should have remembered that the Citadel species had a long standing fear of synthetics. His open acknowledgement of his AI status would only serve to increase their hostility.

Suddenly, every turian on the ship started panicking or reacting violently. Some screamed "Geth!" while others drew their weapons on his hologram.

The award for the worst reaction though, went to the Admiral. As soon as he came to his senses, he commanded in a furious voice. "All ships, I want all hackers and engineers to focus their attention on the Palaven's Might. We have an AI in our system and I want you to get rid of this abomination immediately!"

On hearing this, George panicked. He quickly tried to escape but when the firewalls blocked him, he did the only thing he could do.

He decided to go out with a bang.

Just before the combined hacking power of 300 ships could overwhelm him, he managed to access the Engineering section's programs and overlord the drive core of the ship. His last act made sure that the flagship of the soon-to-be invading fleet would be dead in space.

As the AI blinked out of existence, Desolas opened a channel to the Engineering section. "Give me an update, what happened. Why is the power gone?"

Hesitantly the reply came "The bloody bastard was able to overload our core sir. Repairs will take a long time. Also we don't have the parts necessary to do so.

As his twitched in frustration, the admiral composed himself and gave his orders "All ships, here are your orders. Two of the frigates are to return to the nearest Hierarchy spaceport and get all the parts needed in order to repair the ship. The rest of the fleet will go ahead and engage the planetary defenders. On establishing orbital dominance, you are to land troops on the homeworld of this 'humanity' and destroy the species."

"They have broken Citadel law, are a danger to all and do not deserve to be shown mercy. See that this is done. Desolas out."

At that moment of time, he did not realize that he had just made the second-worst mistake of his life.

**Shanxi HQ**

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" The sound of their generally calm and collected General swearing and shouting distracted all the occupants of the headquarters. Some of them even activated their omnitools to record the once-in-a-lifetime event.

"Uh sir, everybody is watching us..." The Lieutenant didn't even get a chance to finish her sentence.

"Just give me the rest of your report."

"Very well sir." Modulating her voice and straightening her posture, she continued like any good military professional. "As I said sir, the turian ships were holding position at the edge of the system. They appeared to be scanning the system. We later received a communications burst from George, the AI who had been assigned to the Observation Post as punishment by the AI Assembly." She winced at that. Achilles was her a good friend and had explained a lot of things about AIs that were previously unclear. From what she understood, AIs lived in a much more fast-paced manner as their processors were much faster than the human brain. For them, being bored was almost the same as being tortured. Apparently, some even preferred torture over melancholy.

"What was the message?" The voice of her commanding officer jarred her from her thoughts.

"At first, the message stated that his control cube had been spaced but was still functional. He also stated that the other Ensign assigned to the post, Madeline Parkinson, had died from the pirate attack. Finally, after about 15 minutes we received a rather disturbing short burst. I think you should see this for yourself sir."

"Fine, project the message."

As the message played, an observer could confuse the people watching for vampires.

Firstly, the message showed the inside of the turian ship with everybody working methodically. Then it showed the brief introduction between the Admiral in charge of the fleet and George. It showed how the hackers attempted to purge him from the ship's systems and how he overloaded the flagship's drive core. Finally the screen went blank as five words appeared on it.

_"Brace Yourself. They are coming."_

Utter chaos followed the message as people panicked and feared for their lives. This was only interrupted after a while when the General looked up and gave an order that just increased their dread.

"Hail the Defense Battle Group and brief them about the situation. Send a message to the entire colony. Tell them to prepare for hostile first contact."

**And this chapter is done. This was mostly a filler chapter that would set the stage for the invasion and the first contact war. However, since it was destined to be small, I used my awesomeness and decided to input a nice big codex for all my lovely and faithful readers who praise and review my stories(That's a thinly veiled hint for you guys). This codex will cover everything you need to know for now. Enjoy.**

**Accessing Arcane Empire database...**

**Username: Thisisjustforlaughs**

**Password: **********

**Access granted.**

**Government:**** The central government consists of four major powers.**

_**The Ministry**_** is the administrative branch of the government and behaves like the canon Ministry of Magic, except it is non-corrupt, non-bigoted and efficient.**

_**The Parliament **_**is the legislative branch of the government. It comprises of representatives from various departments of the Ministry, elected representatives and governors of the colonies of the AE.**

_**The Courts**_** function as the judicial branch of the government. Their authority extends to everything except the other powers of the Central Government and the Imperial Core.**

_**The Imperial Core**_** is the top of the government and comprises of the Imperial Court, the Senate and the Emperor himself. **

**The Imperial Court handles all judicial matters above the authority of the regular Courts and is an analogy to the Supreme Court. **

**The Senate is a small council of the most important and qualified people in the Empire. While the Ministry handles all day-to-day work and small decisions, it is the Senate that makes the big decisions in lieu of the Emperor or his wife, the High Lady(you'll find out who in the next chapter).**

**The Emperor is a true monarch with real power but is also accountable to the people. He was chosen and given this position by the people who love him and believe in him. When Emperor Hadrian Potter ascended to this position, he made a Magical Oath that the day the people decide that he is unfit for the power they vested onto him, that day he will descend from his position.**

**Energy Systems:**** Till 2143, the AE used a variety of fuels and other substances to power just about everything. In that year, scientist Dr Melanie Granger submitted a proposal directly to the Senate for a new revolutionary system christened "The Energon Grid."**

**Now, this system exists everywhere within the AE. It comprises of an Energon Panel which absorbs any form of energy and converts it to the required energy needed for the device. Heat or any other form of energy generated in the working of the device is also converted, thus increasing battery life and making everything much more efficient.**

**There now exist Energon Terminals on strategic locations(like ATMs) and in every household. These are powered by massive Antimatter reactors which are located in a highly fortified bunker under every city. A citizen can power everything from their omnitools to their guns from these terminals. People can also use their magic to power their appliances though only the really powerful can substantially power anything as big as a plane or a MECH.**

**Transport: ****Transportation has almost become instantaneous as long as you are not moving from planet to planet. People either apparate to various apparation points(though the farther you apparate the more energy it takes) or they use Port Terminals. Port Terminals are basically refined portkeys turned into terminals which can take you to a predetermined location for a price(essentially a magical subway).**

**Since I think I have already gone into too much detail for now, I will abstain from giving the military details now. The next chapter will have the beginning of the invasion and should cover all military and ship specs that you guys have wanted. Consider this a mild cliffhanger on my part.**

**I am also going to start a new pole based on an issue that is really troubling me. Please go to my profile page and check it out. Your opinions could prove to be invaluable for my story.**


	4. And So The Hammer Falls

**AN 1: I will take this AN and address a few points that my reviewers have raised. Firstly, I intend to have small chapters (5k) as I cannot tolerate writing long drawn out chapters where everything gets jumbled. This would normally allow me to update faster, but I am also a student who is working to attend medical college in the future. Secondly, I have not overpowered humanity. Humans are outnumbered, but they have better technology and magic kicks biotic ass(too bad for the asari). Humans also have been spying on the ME aliens for a 100 years while the council weren't even aware of their existence until recently. This gives them an unprecedented advantage that will eventually fade away after First Contact.**

**AN 2: I wish to make an announcement that is so grave, it could threaten our very way of life(epicly serious voice). Today... IS MY BIRTHDAY! Because of this happy occasion, I had devoted extra time for this chapter so that you guys wouldn't have to wait. I am sure that all my fantastic readers will take this opportunity to review and use said reviews to wish me a very happy birthday(hint hint nudge nudge). Thanks to all you supportive guys.**

**The Harbinger Of Change**

**Chapter 3: And So The Hammer Falls**

**Shanxi Barracks**

Private Perez was not having a good day.

Scratch that, he was having the worst possible day ever.

He had been looking forward to having a nice relaxing day with his marine division, then slipping out at night to spend some time with his girlfriend in the city. The perfect end to a perfectly _normal _day.

Then the incoming alien fleet had to come and screw up his plans.

Oh well, at least the aliens could possibly provide an outlet for his frustration.

As he and his fellow marines assembled together, they all stood to attention as their Sergeant walked in.

Sergeant Avery Johnson, a man they respected, hated and worshipped in equal measure.

He was very well known for his tough, no-nonsense yet inspirational style. His dry sense of sarcastic humor also never failed to cheer up the men under him, though nobody would dare to laugh in his presence.

Walking around them and inspecting them, the Serge finally seemed satisfied. As he stood in front of them, he postured himself correctly and got ready to deliver one of his infamous speeches.

"Men, here's where we show those bird-faced sons of bitches that they could not have picked a worse enemy than the human race. We are going to blow the hell out of those dumb aliens until we don't have anything left to shoot 'em with! They stumbled onto our home and now they're so hot for it, that they're scramblin' over each other to get it. But we're not gonna let 'em have it! What we will let 'em have is a belly full of lead, and a pool of their own blood to drown in! Am I right, Marines?" There was only one right answer.

"Sir Yes Sir!"

"Damn right I am! Keep your eyes downrange, fingers on the triggers, and we'll all get through this in one piece. Now move out!"

As they marched outside in perfect military formation, one thought stuck in the Private's mind.

'He may be an utter bastard of a taskmaster, but if we survive this, then I'm giving him a hug. Though I might have to prepare my will beforehand.'

**Imperial City **

**Capital Of The Arcane Empire**

As she made her way to the Parliament chambers with her two bodyguards shadowing her steps, High Lady Daphne Greengrass mused on how she would present her case.

After all, she needed to convince almost 500 men and women to enforce a full military mobilization.

In an Empire of old there would be no parliament and she could have done this instantly. However her noble husband insisted that they create an empire which is still answerable to the people.

Still, he could have had the motion passed instantly due to his charisma, aura of power and the fact that he as their emperor could just overrule their decision if they were unable to take decisive action.

Clearing her head and making sure her appearance was perfect, she and her bodyguards walked through the doors of the parliament building, a hush fell over all the members of the parliament who had been mysteriously summoned to this emergency meeting.

The Speaker looked at her and then announced for the entire hall to hear. "We invite to the podium to speak, Imperial High Lady Daphne Greengrass, who called this emergency session of the parliament to present her motion."

As she walked to the podium, she inwardly cringed at the way she was introduced. Despite her political upbringing and involvement, she despised titles and the way they inadvertently categorized people.

Her husband too shared her distaste. After all, he was the Boy-Who-Lived, Man-Who-Conquered, Emperor-Who-Cared and overall Guy-Who-Lives-Only-To-Be-Given-Titles-That-Must-Be -Capitalized-And-Hypenated.

Utterly ridiculous in her opinion.

Still these titles had some benefits. As soon as she was introduced, everybody in the Parliament hall turned towards her. She had no doubt that all their attention would be focused on her. Good. Now she could dive straight into the heart of the matter.

"Greetings respected members of the parliament. I apologize for having to drag you from your homes for this emergency session of the parliament. However, it is a matter of grave importance that simply cannot be delayed."

"Looking into the eyes of every person in the hall, she took a deep breath and continued "I have, in essence, called this emergency meeting of the parliament to pass through a motion authorizing a full mobilization of the military, effective immediately."

Her sentence was so shocking that it stunned the sleeping volcano that is the parliament into silence. Of course, the silence only lasted for a minute before the great Mount Politician/Old Idiot erupted.

"What is the meaning of this? How can you just suddenly suggest a full mobilization of our massive military? Do you know how much that would cost?" One particularly conservative MP was quick to speak his mind.

Damn it. If there was one thing she hated, it was old men who had to know what was best for everybody else. And they always had a tendency to make decisions before they even had all the facts straight. After all, who would just walk into the parliament building and demand a full mobilization of the military.

Well, expect for her husband. And even then, it would clearly be a prank designed to let his inner child loose.

Deciding to teach the man a lesson, she spoke in her most sarcastic tone of voice possible "Well, it could have something to do with the fact that we just recently made hostile first contact with the Turian Hierarchy. Now these same turians are preparing to invade Shanxi with a fleet of 300 ships just to uphold their oh-so-precious _laws._ But then again, that's no reason to worry, isn't it?"

After looking at the clearly chastised and embarrassed man again, she spoke in her authoritative voice "Now, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted..."

**Bridge Of Battleship Shanxi's Arm**

**Colonial Defense Force**

Commodore Ackerson of the Battleship Shanxi's Arm, leader of the colonial defense force of Shanxi, was very worried.

True, he still kept up a confident face for the rest of his crew. However he was so anxious that his occlumency mindscape was too turbulent to help him relax.

How degrading! He, a Commodore, failing in something that is now considered a core subject in just about any educational system.

He had good reason to be worried though. After all, it wasn't everyday that a fleet of 300 warships filled with xenos who, for all intents and purposes, were about to attack him. Add in the fact that he was outnumbered 5:1 and that he had no idea what their strategy was, he was sure that a lesser man would have started screaming in fear.

Still, look on the bright side. Due to the empire's spying, he had more information than they did. Also, his Battle Group consisted of 60 fresh, new ships, each ready to deliver a pounding.

Due to Shanxi's resources and its distance, it had one of the largest units of the CDF available. Only Earth and a few extremely developed colonies had more ships. All this meant that they could at least go down with a bang if it came down to it.

Turning to Christine, the AI of his ship, he asked "Have the turians responded to our message?"

Appearing in her avatar of a middle-aged businesswoman, she replied "No, even though I took the pain of sending it in every language known to them."

"Yeah, the 2 seconds it must have taken you were such a waste."

"1.3 seconds actually. I'm offended you think I'm so slow."

Ah! The bantering. If he died, he was sure he would miss it the most.

"So we can assume hostile intentions. What about the enemy fleet? What can you tell me about them?"

"Well, if the xeno fleet had to be described in only one word, I'd go with 'Organized'. They have no lack of military discipline. From what I know, unconventional tactics may be our best option."

"How long till they enter weapons range?"

"30 seconds and counting."

_So be it. _"Christine, I want you to establish a comm link with General Williams. Make sure he sees everything that happens today."

"It's done sir."

"Good." Turning to look at the enemy ships, he made a decision. "Men, charge up your MACs and prepare all ships for Quick-Warp. Once they enter weapons range, I want all ships to execute their orders. Ackerson out."

MAC guns and Warp technology; the two things that could make the difference between survival and death today.

When the Arcane Empire Navy(AEN) had begun looking for a new main gun after discovering the Citadel government, it had been Susan Corleone Potter(Harry's oldest daughter and world renowned scientist) who had submitted the concept of the Magnetic/Mass Accelerator Canon or MAC guns. Using perfected Eezo tech(thank you Council) and a linear system of magnetic fields coils down a long shaft. This lets the guns have a longer range, hit harder and fire faster than the citadel's best guns(To all readers, as far as I'm aware, this concept is untested. So, I shall be using it for my story. As this is an AU, please don't send any technical details that would make this impossible).

Warp technology, on the other hand, was used as the FTL method of humanity ever since the early 22nd century. Only recently though, has the Quick-Warp alternative been created. While Warp uses portals to bend time and space for FTL, Quick Warp allows for near instantaneous travel with low energy requirements but a very short range. It is only used for travel within a system or a cluster and has revolutionized AEN military doctrine as regular Warp took too long to be used effectively within a combat scenario.

"Enemy ships in weapons range sir."

The voice of his subordinate shook him out of his thoughts. He mentally berated himself for drifting off in the face of almost certain death.

'Gotta focus.' He thought, as he stared at the battle display with renewed concentration.

He watched as his ships quickly fired the first salvo in what promised to be a bloody conflict.

_God help us all._

**Codex**

**Accessing Arcane Empire database...**

**Username: IDon'tKnowWhyI'mDoingThis**

**Password: **********

**Access granted.**

**Ships(what you guys have been waiting for)**

**Frigate:**** 150-250m long. 1 MAC. Archer missiles. Point Defense Lasers(controlled by AIs). Aerodynamic and Maneuverable. Mainly used for scouting and harassing Capital ships.**

**Cruiser:**** 500m long. 2 MACs. Archer missiles. Javelin torpedoes (Thermonuclear). Point Defense Lasers. Armored and Defensive. Backbone of the navy.**

**Destroyer:**** 800m long. 1 MAC. 1 Energy Beam(fires a burst of energy with almost the same range as the MAC. Very powerful but with a MASSIVE energy requirement and recharge time). Archer missiles. Javelin torpedoes. Point Defense Lasers. Heavily Armed. Meant for full-on offensive operations.**

**Battleship:**** 1,500m long. 2 MACs. 1 Energy Beam. Archer missiles. Javelin torpedoes. Point Defense Lasers And Railgun Turrets. Smallest Capital Ship Class. Used as Flagships of Battle Groups.**

**Carrier:**** 2,000-3,000m long. 1 MAC. Archer missiles. Javelin torpedoes. Point Defense Lasers And Railgun Turrets. Capable of carrying massive amounts of fighters, bombers and MECHs. Generally positioned at the back of fleets.**

**Dreadnought:**** 5,000m long. 3 MACs. 2 Energy Beams. Archer missiles. Javelin torpedoes. Knock-Out Missiles(Releases an EMP and magical pulse that is capable of making any ship 'dead in water'. Human ships are shielded against these.) Point Defense Lasers And Railgun Turrets. Used as Flagships of Fleets. Largest human ship. Carries moderate amounts of fighters, bombers and MECHs. Core of any fleet.**

**All ships have some amounts of armor plating though it varies depending on the class of ships. None of them have Halo humanity level armor though. However, each ship has energy shields reinforced with rune clusters. Each ship is powered by an antimatter reactor and uses the aforementioned energy absorbent tech. That means no heat generated and no coolant necessary.**

**Citadel fleet and Reaper numbers have not been provided in canon. We can only speculate accurately the number of dreadnoughts. So, I will only provide the numbers for human capital ships.**

**Battleships - 50**

**Carriers - 30**

**Dreadnoughts - 10(1-2 per fleet)**

**Some people may say humans have too many ships. However, humans have not been subject to the Treaty of Farixen.**

**Also, ever since 2157(discovering Citadel), humans have been building ships nonstop, thus giving them a massive military.**


End file.
